


I'm Late

by MereMere22193



Series: Topsy Turvy [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (TV)
Genre: Gen, Magic, Mental Health Issues, emotional goodbyes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 09:00:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3375617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MereMere22193/pseuds/MereMere22193
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What was Jefferson doing when Regina's curse came for him? This fic explores one possibility.</p><p>In which the White Rabbit watches the Mad Hatter live up to his name and embrace danger like the young fool he is. In which Jefferson gets to say goodbye to a dear old friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Late

**Author's Note:**

> I might change the title. This is going to be the first in a series of Jefferson's experiences with the curse at the beginning. This one explores how he left Wonderland. I enjoy constructive criticism.

            His mind had calmed since the Queen of Hearts had disappeared, taking her suffocating aura and her constant threat to his life with her. His life was still in danger of course, this was Wonderland after all, and the Red Queen took after her vanished mentor. But there was no one forcing him to make hats that would never work anymore. He still made them though. Even after Rabbit had enlisted the help of Alice and her genie to free him from the abandoned palace. And wasn't that funny, the little girl who despite escaping to the world that never made sense was still trapped by the world she left behind, and her love, the genie who was trapped by his desires and doomed to serve the desires of others (he knew how one became a genie) for eternity, coming to free the man who was also trapped no matter where he went. What a trio they made. They had brought him to the Tulgey Woods where Rabbit led them to a house he had found for his old friend. It was empty before, now it was full of hats. He had to make it work, had to get back. No matter what.

            His mind was clear enough that he felt the magic the second it broke through the walls between the worlds. He felt it moving through the space between worlds, and followed its path back to its origin. The Enchanted Forest. As the spell, no curse, it was definitely a curse with the malevolence pulsating from it, came closer and closer, to Wonderland, to _him_ , who had sent it became clear. _Regina_. He had been in her presence as she used magic multiple times before, he had constantly been on the watch for it after he'd hung up his Hat, waiting for her to come after him, like he'd always known she would. And come she had, just not in the way he had expected. He should have said no to her. If he had, her vengeance on him probably would have been even worse, if possible. No, this curse was her doing, and it was huge. He quivered as it breached the walls into Victor's world. She was after vengeance once more then, and whatever it was, it was bad, because he couldn't imagine what else she could do to him. He closed his eyes as the curse reached Wonderland. Suddenly, there was someone knocking at his door.

            "Jefferson! JEFFERSON!" He heard the frantic cry, as little furry fists pounded on the wood.

            Rabbit.

            He didn't want to open the door, but hiding behind it was foolish. Regina's wrath would not be stopped by solid wood. He stood and went to the door, opening it. Sure enough, there stood Rabbit, panting heavily. His white suit was rumpled, his top hat was missing, his long ears were pinned against his head and his already large eyes were even wider in fear than normal. His nose was twitching incessantly, trying to smell the danger that he must sense was coming, their magic was very similar after all. Even his fur was puffed in fear; he thought that was only a cat thing.

            "Oh thank goodness, you're here," Rabbit sighed in relief. Jefferson raised an eyebrow.

            "Where else did you expect me to be?"

            "I don't know!" the creature wailed. "But that doesn't matter! Jefferson! Something bad is coming! What should we do!?"

            "Nothing," Jefferson said simply. Startling the White Rabbit into silence before he could continue his terrified rambling.

            "No-! **_NOTHING?!_** " Rabbit cried, shocked and outraged. "What do you mean _nothing_?!"

            "Just that Rabbit. We do nothing," Jefferson said, eyes no longer on his oldest, and frankly only, friend. He was watching the horizon. By the way Rabbit went stiff beside him, he had felt the curse break into Wonderland. "There's nothing that can be done against this, and besides," he said, casting a sad smile down at the rabbit. "It's only here for me."

            "For you?" Rabbit asked, taking his eyes from the horizon as well to look at the young man he'd watched grow. His ears, which had gone up instinctively when the wall separating Wonderland from the space between had been breached, drooped, this time in sadness instead of fear. "Oh Jefferson."

            "It's alright, Percy," the man said, using the White Rabbit's rarely used birth name as he patted the creature's bare head. "I should've expected something like this, sooner or later."

            "I wish you would tell me what really happened, I could've helped," Percy said sadly.

            "It wouldn't have changed anything, Percy," Jefferson said with a sigh. He could see the purple smoke now, swirling lazily through the air above the trees of the Tulgey Wood, straight towards him. He went back into his house for his coat and hat. If Regina expected him to cower in fear before her wrath, she was wrong, he was going to meet it head on. He settled his coat around his shoulders as he exited his house one last time. He knelt down in front of Percy. The rabbit had been a part of his life since he started traveling the worlds, and had always been a source of counsel and comfort. He had even officiated his and Mary Ann's Wonderland ceremony. They'd of course had one in the Enchanted Forest, but it had meant a lot to Mary that he'd been willing to give her a Wonderland wedding, even though it was well known how much he'd despised the place. Percy had been there for him since he'd been trapped here, and he'd never be able to repay him for his kindness. He wrapped his arms around the small body, and felt tiny arms, trembling from fear and grief, wrap around him as much as they could.

            "Thank you old friend," Jefferson whispered to him. "You'll never know how much your attempts to save me from my madness, helped me, or how much it meant to me. I'll never be able to repay you for the kindness you gave me. I'll miss you."

            Percy shook, silent tears welled up in his eyes.

            "I'll miss you too old boy. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you. Maybe things would've been different if we'd had more time. It's too late now, though. Keep yourself alive boy, and come back if you can. Mrs. Rabbit will make her carrot cake," Percy said shakily, squeezing the young man he'd considered his charge as tightly as he could.

            Jefferson, gently extracted himself from the rabbit's grip and smiled gently at him as he stood. The smoke swirled in the air right above where the woods met his little clearing for a moment, before pouring down to the ground like a waterfall. It started rolling towards him slowly. He gripped his hat tightly, and let his smile morph into the infamous smirk that had gotten him in and out of trouble more times than he could count.

            "Well then White Rabbit," Jefferson said grandly, and swept himself into a deep and exaggerated bow. The Mad Hatter stood, and placed his hat on his head with a dramatic flourish. "It's been a pleasure. I'm off to my tea party, and I'm already late," he paused for a moment, and then gave the older world hopper a heartbreakingly sad smile. "I've kept her waiting so long already," he said, before letting out a strained giggle.

            Percy shook his head at the man's antics, thinking of the little boy who once dramatically declared his love for Percy's own wife, and how the child then 'died' when he was fondly but firmly rejected. And then of the broken man that Alice and Cyrus had brought to him and his wife, a man who was still enough of himself to once again declare his undying love for the unwillingly amused Mrs. Rabbit. This boy, always the actor, but he could indulge him, just this once.

            "Well, it's best you hurry on then. There is no excuse for tardiness Mad Hatter. Especially when you've a young lady waiting for you," The White Rabbit said, with a look at his watch, paw shaking slightly. He turned his gaze back to the boy as a tear slid down his cheek. "No time to wait, goodbye, your late, my friend, your late."

            The Mad Hatter let out a hysterical cackle as he skipped backwards towards what was likely his doom; he gave a wave to the solemn White Rabbit and shouted out with mad delight, "And a Happy Unbirthday to you, my friend!" before he turned and strode into the smoke with more mad laughter. There was the crack of thunder accompanied by bright lighting, as the smoke swallowed its prey. It billowed sullenly for a moment, and then dissipated, vanishing like it had never been there, taking the Mad Hatter with it.

            The White Rabbit was left alone in the clearing, standing before the house of a mad man, one he had called his dear friend. Rabbit swiped at his eyes and looked at the too blue sky.

            "Happy Unbirthday...Jefferson," Percy said quietly. "Be safe."

            He stood there for another moment, before he slowly started the journey home.

 


End file.
